V12 engine and Oread: Difference between pages

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Revision as of 05:13, 23 November 2005

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{{Greek myth (nymph)}}

A '''V12''' is an [[internal combustion engine]] with 12 [[cylinder]]s in [[V engine|V]] [[engine configuration|configuration]]. Like a [[straight-6]], this configuration has perfect primary and secondary balance no matter which V angle is used and therefore needs no [[balance shaft]]s.

In [[Greek mythology]], '''Oreads''' (ὄρος, "mountain") were a type of [[nymph]] that lived in mountains. They were associated with [[Aphrodite]].

A V12, with two banks of six cylinders angled at 60° from each other, has even firing with power pulses delivered twice as often per revolution as, and is much smoother than, a [[straight-6]]. This allows for great refinement in a luxury car; in a racing car, the rotating parts can be made much lighter and thus more responsive, since there is no need to use counterweights on the crankshaft as is needed in a 90° V8 and less need for the inertial mass in a [[flywheel]] to smooth out the power delivery. In a large, heavy-duty engine, a V12 can run slower than smaller engines, prolonging engine life.

=== AviationOreads ===

#[[Britomartis]]

V12 engines were first seen in aircraft. By the end of [[World War I]], the V12 configuration was a fairly popular one in the newest and largest fighters and bombers; V12 engines were produced by companies such as [[Renault]] and [[Sunbeam (car)|Sunbeam]]. Many [[Zeppelin]]s had V12 engines, from German manufacturers [[Maybach]] and [[Daimler]]. Various US companies produced the V12 [[liberty engine]]; the [[Curtiss NC]] [[Flying boat]]s, such as the first aircraft to make a [[transatlantic]] flight, the [[NC-4]], had a set of 4 V12 engines.

#[[Cynosura]]

#[[Echo (mythology)|Echo]]

#[[Oenone]]

#[[Pitys]]

#[[Pleiades (mythology)|Pleiades]]

##[[Merope|Aero]]

##[[Asterope]]

##[[Dryope]]

##[[Electra]]

##[[Maia]]

##[[Merope]]

##[[Taygete]]

##[[Celaeno]]

##[[Alcyone]]

[[Category:Nymphs]]

A number of [[World War II]] [[fighter aircraft|fighter]]s and [[bomber]]s used V12 engines such as the [[Rolls-Royce]] [[Rolls-Royce Merlin| Merlin]] or the [[Allison V-1710 engine|Allison V-1710]] on the Allied side or the [[Daimler-Benz]] DB 600 on the German side, these engines were generating about 1,000 [[horsepower]] (0.75 MW) at the beginning of the War and about 1,500 horsepower (1.12 MW) at their ultimate evolution stage. The German DB 605D engine even reached 2000 hp (1.50 MW) with methanol-water injection. Their use disappeared quickly after the advent of the [[jet engine]].

[[de:Oreade]]

== V12 road cars ==

[[lt:Oreadės]]

[[Image:1961 Ferrari 250 TR 61 Spyder Fantuzzi engine.jpg|right|thumb|250px|[[Ferrari Colombo engine|Colombo]] Type 125 "Testa Rossa" engine in a 1961 [[Ferrari TR|Ferrari 250TR Spyder]]]]

[[nl:Oreaden]]

In [[automobiles]], V12 engines have never been common, because of their complexity and thus cost. Their use has been thus confined to costly luxury and sports cars, in which they give superlative performance and smoothness characteristics.

[[ru:Оры]]

[[sv:Oreader]]

Prior to [[World War II]], twelve-cylinder engines were found in many luxury models, including cars from [[Cadillac (automobile)|Cadillac]], [[Packard]], [[Lincoln (automobile)|Lincoln]], [[Franklin (automobile)|Franklin]], [[Rolls-Royce]], and [[Hispano-Suiza]]. Packard's [[1912]] "Double Six" is widely regarded as [[list of automotive superlatives|the first]] production V12 engine.

Postwar, the type lost favor in the United States, where the [[V8]] became ubiquitous. Italian sports cars from such makers as [[Lamborghini]] and [[Ferrari]] used the V12 almost exclusively on their highest-performance vehicles, while [[Jaguar (car)|Jaguar]] developed a [[Jaguar V12 engine|V12]] that was put into production in [[1971]] and lasted until [[1997]]. Ferrari's newest V12 (used in the [[Ferrari 456|456]]) is an odd 65° unit based on the [[Ferrari Dino]] [[V6]], while the company's flat 12 engine is really a 180° V12.

In the early [[1990s]], the German manufacturers [[Mercedes-Benz]] and [[BMW]] both introduced V12 designs. The BMW-designed V12 also appears in [[Rolls-Royce]] cars, while the Mercedes engine is also seen in [[Maybach]] cars. [[Aston Martin]] introduced a V12 model in [[2001]], while Cadillac is re-introducing the V12 after 60 years with a V12 version of their [[Cadillac Northstar engine]] range. This engine is to be available initially only in the [[Cadillac Escalade]] luxury [[SUV]].

[[Toyota]] equipped their Century Limousine with their own 5.0 L DOHC V12 engine, designated the 1GZ-FE.

[[TVR]] made and tested a 7.7 L V12 called the [[Speed Twelve]], reportedly making 1000+ BHP naturally aspirated, but the project was scrapped after the car it was designed for was deemed too powerful for practical use.

A List of Postwar V12 Production Road Cars (Alphabetical by make, sub-sorted by year of introduction):

* [[Aston Martin DB7 Vantage]]

* [[Aston Martin Vanquish]]

* [[Aston Martin DB AR1]]

* [[Aston Martin DB9]]

* [[B Engineering Edonis]]

* [[BMW 7 Series|BMW 750/760]]

* [[BMW 8 Series|BMW 850]]

* [[Bugatti EB 110]]

* [[Daimler Double Six]]

* [[Ferrari 166]]

* [[Ferrari 195]]

* [[Ferrari 212]]

* [[Ferrari America|Ferrari 340/342]]

* [[Ferrari America|Ferrari 375/375 America]]

* [[Ferrari 250]]

* [[Ferrari America|Ferrari 410 Superamerica]]

* [[Ferrari America|Ferrari 400 Superamerica]]

* [[Ferrari 275]]

* [[Ferrari 330]]

* [[Ferrari America|Ferrari 500 Superfast]]

* [[Ferrari 365]]

* [[Ferrari Daytona]]

* [[Ferrari 400|Ferrari 400i/412i]]

* [[Ferrari 456]]

* [[Ferrari F50]]

* [[Ferrari 550]]

* [[Ferrari 575M Maranello]]

* [[Ferrari Enzo Ferrari]]

* [[Ferrari 612 Scaglietti]]

* [[Jaguar E-Type]]

* [[Jaguar XJ-S]]

* [[Jaguar XJ12]]

* [[Lamborghini 350GT]]

* [[Lamborghini 400GT]]

* [[Lamborghini Islero]]

* [[Lamborghini Miura]]

* [[Lamborghini Espada]]

* [[Lamborghini Jarama]]

* [[Lamborghini Countach]]

* [[Lamborghini Diablo]]

* [[Lamborghini Murcielago]]

* [[Lincoln Continental]]

* [[Lincoln Zephyr]]

* [[Lister Storm]]

* [[Maserati MC12]]

* [[Maybach 57 and 62]]

* [[McLaren F1]]

* [[Mercedes-Benz S-Class|Mercedes-Benz S600/S65 AMG]]

* [[Mercedes-Benz CL-Class|Mercedes-Benz CL600/CL65 AMG]]

* [[Mercedes-Benz SL-Class|Mercedes-Benz SL600/SL65 AMG]]

* [[Mercedes-Benz CLK-GTR]]

* [[Pagani Zonda]]

* [[Rolls-Royce Silver Seraph]]

* [[Rolls-Royce Park Ward]]

* [[Rolls-Royce Phantom]]

* [[Toyota Crown]]

* [[TVR Cerbera Speed Twelve]]

* [[Lamborghini LM002]]

== Heavy trucks ==

[[Tatra]] uses a 17.6 L air-cooled [[turbocharger|turbo]] [[diesel engine|diesel]] V12 engine in many of their [[truck]]s, for instance the [[Tatra T813]] and [[Tatra T815]]. Some trucks have been fitted with twin V12s.

[[GMC Truck|GMC]] produced a large [[gasoline]]-burning V12 in the 1960s for trucks, the "Twin-Six"; it was basically GMC's large-capacity truck V6, doubled, with four [[cam cover]]s and four [[exhaust manifold]]s. Its [[engine displacement]] was 702 in³ (11.5 L), and while [[Power (physics)|power]] was not too impressive at 250 SAE net horsepower (190 kW), [[torque]] was 585 lbf·ft (793 N·m). It was possibly the last gasoline engine used in heavy trucks in the United States.

== Auto racing ==

V12 engines used to be common in [[Formula One]] and [[endurance racing]]. Between [[1965]] and [[1980]], [[Ferrari]], [[Weslake]], [[Honda]], [[BRM]], [[Maserati]], [[Matra]], [[Alfa-Romeo]], [[Lamborghini]] and [[Tecno]] used 12-cylinder engines in Formula One, either V12 or [[Flat-12]], but the [[Ford Cosworth]] [[V8]] had a slightly better power-to-weight ratio and less fuel consumption, thus it was more successful despite being less powerful than the best V12s. During the same era, V12 engines were superior to V8s in endurance racing, reduced vibrations giving better reliability. In the 1990s, Renault [[V10]] engines proved their superiority against the [[Ferrari]] and [[Honda]] V12s and the [[Ford Motor Company|Ford]] V8. Now all Formula One cars use [[V10]] engines.

== Large diesel engines ==

V12 is a common configuration for large [[diesel engine]]s; most are available with differing numbers of cylinders in V configuration to offer a range of power ratings. Many [[diesel locomotive]]s have V12 engines.

Mercedes (MTU) manufacture a line of V12 diesel engines for marine use. These engines commonly power craft up to about 100 [[tonne]]s in pairwise configurations and range in power from about 1 to 4 MW.

== External links ==

* [http://www.jagweb.com/jagworld/v12-engine/index.html Technical history of the Jaguar V12]

* [http://www.6066gmctrucks.org/ GMC 6066 "Twin 6" trucks]

{{Piston engine configurations}}